Becoming a Better Sarah ~ 2015 Journal (The End)

[SarahDisney]

November Goals​

As you may remember, October was “no goal” month. But let’s see how I did even without goals.

• Weight Loss: 2 lb - pretty good considering the fact that I had a few weeks where I knew I was eating too much. Plus, holidays at the very beginning of the month and a family event mid-month led to a lot of potential for overeating - so while this wasn't my best month ever, I still did pretty great!
• Total Running Distance: 50.35 miles - Actually a little more than September (0.27 miles counts!), which is pretty great.
• Farthest Distance: 7.08 miles - I only made it over 7 miles that one time and I've been pretty slow since, but it's still an awesome accomplishment and I'm excited to (hopefully) do it again soon!

How did everyone else do with their October goals? I know I’ve got some awesome readers out there, which means there were definitely some awesome accomplishments in October!
@roxymama - any progress to share on your 8K goal? Even if you didn't manage to hit 8K in October, I still want to know how close you got!

At the end of the day, I do think that "no goal October" helped me. I'm definitely under a lot of stress with some other stuff, so not having to worry about these goals made a difference. That said, I spend the latter half of the month thinking of things I wanted to accomplish in November, so that's what will become my November goals. No total mileage or weight loss goals, but a few assorted goals that I think will help me out.

And now, here are the November Goals:
Because I’m weird, I’ve given my goals weird names.

• Look, Ma, No Walk Breaks - Run 3 miles with no walk breaks at least once. I’ve done it before. I was running 5+ miles with no (or minimal) walk breaks at the beginning of the summer. But as it got hotter, I reintroduced walk intervals into my runs to help me deal with the heat. I discovered that I really like the walk breaks on my long runs … but I don’t think I need them for shorter runs. I’ve been slowly (okay, not so slowly) increasing my run periods on short runs and I’m doing okay. So one of my goals for November is to work on getting those walk breaks out of my shorter runs with the hopes that I can do 5K & shorter distances without any walk breaks.
• They Make Movies Shorter Than This Run – One 90 minute run during the month of November. I can definitely run a 10K in less than 90 minutes, but with the character and picture breaks, I’m thinking my runDisney race will take me around an hour and a half. I want to have practice being out and running for that long, because I think it will stop me from getting worn out before the race ends (that happened to me at the Princess 5K last year, and it was rough – my longest run before that race was 45 minutes, and I don’t think I was physically or emotionally prepared to be out there (sometimes) running for over an hour). This is currently on the schedule for November 15th, but it’s possible I’ll feel up to it earlier.
• One Run, One Speed - There was a point in time where I was really working on maintaining a fairly consistent pace throughout my runs. This was another thing that kinda fell by the wayside with the heat. So one of my goals for November is to pick one run every week where my primary focus is maintaining a relatively consistent pace (even if it’s super slow). It will probably generally be one of my shorter runs, but I’m hoping that if I can get back to focusing on consistency for the shorter runs, it will help me when I want to think about consistency for my longer runs. If I do this on a run where I'm eliminating walk breaks, then I'll use the virtual pacer on my Garmin to help ... otherwise it'll just be a matter of checking my average pace often to see how I'm doing.
• Save The Cheese, Save the World – Work on breaking my “addiction” to cheese. I eat too much cheese. I know it doesn’t seem like “too much cheese” is a concept that should exist, but apparently it does. So my goal is to have cheese no more than 2-3 times per week. I definitely don’t want to cut out all cheese, because I love cheese (it's one of my three major food groups, along with coffee and chocolate), but I think this will be much better for my health.
• Discovering Exercises Other Than Running – This month I want to work on ramping up the cross training. Right now I’m doing 15-20 minutes of cross training, hopefully twice a week (I say hopefully because I’m pretty good at skipping cross training). I should be doing two 30-minute sessions per week. I don’t want to run into overdoing myself right away, though, so the goal for November will be 45 minutes of cross-training per week. So far I’m using kickboxing, barre, and Pilates for cross training, and I may throw in some treadmill walking every so often.
• Run, Turkey, Run - As you may remember, I'm signed up for a 5-mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. My sister didn't want to sign up until her foot issues are resolved (she has tendinitis and hasn't been able to run in a while), and the race is now sold out. I'm not great at alone (which makes life a little hard because I don't really have many friends), so it'll be hard for me to get up early, get out the door, get to Brooklyn, and do the race by myself (I told my sister that she's welcome to come spectate, but ... mornings). I'm hoping that having it here as one of my goals will encourage me to actually get up and do it, but ... we'll see.

So, that’s November. I’m a little nervous going from no goals to lots of goals, but I think I can do it.

 

[roxymama]

I came so close! 4.3 was where I maxed out this month. It was outside and I just ran out of time literally. But I blame myself for not going out on the days where I had more time. It was a procrastinator month for me.
My hubby just walked in the back door and showed me that he went 4.25 miles so we are both going to motivate each other better in November. (I did 3.1 earlier this morning.)

There's a turkey trot at 8am on thanksgiving I just learned about that's 4 miles. So I'm contemplating that.

Wishing you luck on your nov goals. Taking out walk breaks is such a mental thing...i bet your body is totally able to do it...it will be the old angel and devil on your schedule talking you into the breaks. But if your body can do it and you succeed you will feel like a superhero. A very tired but happy superhero.

 

[SarahDisney]

I came so close! 4.3 was where I maxed out this month. It was outside and I just ran out of time literally. But I blame myself for not going out on the days where I had more time. It was a procrastinator month for me.
My hubby just walked in the back door and showed me that he went 4.25 miles so we are both going to motivate each other better in November. (I did 3.1 earlier this morning.)

4.3 is pretty great. And yay for your hubby doing 4.25 today. I think you guys can make it to at least 4.5 miles this month, maybe even 5!

There's a turkey trot at 8am on thanksgiving I just learned about that's 4 miles. So I'm contemplating that.

DO IT!!!
My Turkey Trot starts at 9, so with the time difference ... we'd be running together! Except that you'd probably finish in half my time because your race is shorter and you're faster than me.

Wishing you luck on your nov goals. Taking out walk breaks is such a mental thing...i bet your body is totally able to do it...it will be the old angel and devil on your schedule talking you into the breaks. But if your body can do it and you succeed you will feel like a superhero. A very tired but happy superhero.

Thanks. Getting rid of the walk breaks is definitely hard ... even now I sometimes want to take an extra walk break every so often. But I think I can do it and I'm going to keep working towards that goal!

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 10/26 – 11/1​

Tuesday 10/27 – Run Recap: 2.74 miles in 32:01 minutes (11’42” pace) – This was really my first middle-cold run of the season. With temperatures in the mid-40’s, I actually brought gloves with me (and wore them for part of the run) and wore a long-sleeve shirt and jacket, but no fleece vest (a staple of my winter running) and no hat (and not just because I couldn't find my winter hat). I did okay, and I’m hoping that I’ll have a few more runs like this to allow for an easier transition to sub-freezing.
And yes, I know that to some of you this sounds like a lot of clothing for the 40's, but I'm one of those people who is always super cold, so I gotta start bundling up a little earlier than most.

Thursday 10/29 - Run Recap: 3.29 miles in 41:00 minutes (12’27” pace) – I thought the fact that this was my third run in a row where I didn’t get out of the house until 7:30 was going to be the worst part of the run … but then my Garmin decided to lose its GPS signal a few minutes into my run. I stopped it when I saw the problem and started over … so at the end of the day I ran about 3.8 miles/47 minutes, but I only have the stats for the last 41 minutes. I was a little frustrated by that, but tried not to let it get to me.

Friday 10/30 was scheduled to be cross training & PT exercises, but I overslept (by 2 hours) and ended up taking it as a rest day so that I could get other stuff done. I did the cross training & exercises on Saturday instead.

Sunday 11/1 - Run Recap: 7.13 miles in 1:26:00 hours (12’04” pace) – Lots of notes on this run:
1 - My plan for this run was 85 minutes, and I was hoping to hit 7 miles. My average pace was about 11:50 after 5 miles, which should have made it pretty easy to hit 7, but I slowed down a bit in miles 6 & 7, so it was a struggle to make it at the end. And once I reached 7 miles, I realized that I wanted to set a distance record, so I added a minute to the run to make it to 7.13 miles.
2 – I was not feeling the hills today. Not a good thing on my long runs, where the path I run basically alternates between small uphill and small downhill (with a few bigger hills in the middle). But I powered through the path with only one extra walk break … and I did it with 4/1 intervals. I don’t know if the increased run interval contributed to making the hills so hard, though, so I’ll have to pay attention on my next long run, and if I feel that I need to go back to 3/1 intervals, I will.
3 – I tried a new mid-run fuel source for this run – dried apricots. They were delicious, nutritious, and definitely seemed to fulfill my fueling needs, but … they have a lot of fiber in them. And I’m just not comfortable with that while I’m running. I know runners are supposed to have no shame, but … I have shame. The dripping nose is as far as I go. So I’m going to stick with dried apricots as a nutritious and delicious snack, and not as a run fuel.

In terms of other stuff...
This was one of those weeks where I ate everything in sight. And I didn’t really feel bad about it. But I ended up down a pound, which just goes to show you that things aren’t always as bad as they may seem. That or it was three trips into the city … I almost felt like myself this week. One of the many rough things about my current situation is that I rarely have a reason to get out of the house and go somewhere ... whether it's something local or heading into Manhattan … and boredom/cabin fever isn't a good enough justification for spending the $5.50 it costs to get somewhere and back. I've thought about volunteering, and that's actually not a bad idea for getting me out of the house ... I'd just rather have my situation change.
Anyway, on to happier things ... I forgot my November 1st weigh-in, so I’m just gonna use the 10/30 one as my start weight for my November goal. So I'm starting at 142 lb and hoping to end the month at (or below) 140!

Here’s what’s on tap for this week…

 

[Ariel484]

Great job getting your runs in! I feel you on the hills, but in January you'll be glad you did them. The 5K course is flat (as you know) but I do recall the 10K having very slight rolling hills. Nothing crazy but not as 100% flat as the 5K course.

Good job on the weight loss too! Definitely a challenging time of year for that.

 

[SarahDisney]

Great job getting your runs in! I feel you on the hills, but in January you'll be glad you did them. The 5K course is flat (as you know) but I do recall the 10K having very slight rolling hills. Nothing crazy but not as 100% flat as the 5K course.

Thanks.
Most days I do okay with the hills, but some days it almost doesn't seem work it.
But I definitely think that training on the hills will help me. Disney may not be overly hilly, but I'd rather be prepared for hills and not have any than encounter a hill and not be prepared.

Good job on the weight loss too! Definitely a challenging time of year for that.

Thanks. I'm someone who hibernates with hot chocolate and lots of food once the weather gets cooler, so it'll be hard to keep up the weight loss, but I'm trying!

 

[stacy~**]

I know I've been absent from your report (and the boards) but I have been trying to plug away at your updates and I have finally caught up!

You are really doing great and I swear I can "hear" the confidence you are gaining in yourself and your running. I love how you really listen to your body and your mind to know what works for you.

I enjoyed hearing about the Garmin. I am slightly tempted to look into one and putting it on my birthday/xmas list. I finally found a belt I like for my phone and its been great not holding it but the struggle of trying to set the GPS and put my phone in the belt is real. BUT I feel like I have a technology graveyard at my house (ipods, kindles, etc....) and I need to be sure it's something I'm going to use and benefit from (unlike my fitbit that I hate).

I'm blaming my Raw Threads addiction on you. Can't wait for the next sale!!

50+ miles in October is great. Seriously!

I think your goals sound great and RUN THAT THANKSGIVING RACE!!

 

[SarahDisney]

I know I've been absent from your report (and the boards) but I have been trying to plug away at your updates and I have finally caught up!

I'm sure you've been really busy with work and training ... but I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and read!

You are really doing great and I swear I can "hear" the confidence you are gaining in yourself and your running. I love how you really listen to your body and your mind to know what works for you.

Thanks! It's really been a learning process, and it's great to know that I am able to figure out what works for me and adjust as possible.

I enjoyed hearing about the Garmin. I am slightly tempted to look into one and putting it on my birthday/xmas list. I finally found a belt I like for my phone and its been great not holding it but the struggle of trying to set the GPS and put my phone in the belt is real. BUT I feel like I have a technology graveyard at my house (ipods, kindles, etc....) and I need to be sure it's something I'm going to use and benefit from (unlike my fitbit that I hate).

Having the Garmin has been great. I went for a run last week with gloves, and being able to pause and stop it without taking off the gloves was great. I've paused it a few times when crossing the street, which is something I never did with the phone, and it's just so much easier to stop and start than the phone was.
Also, I always took my phone out of my belt to stop the GPS while still running, and I was often afraid I would drop it.
That said ... I'm a gadget person. I love my fitbit. I love my iPod (even though it's 8+ years old). I have a few old computers in my technology graveyard, but those are things I use until I can't use them anymore (minus the netbook, which was a grad school thing), so they had a good lifecycle. I knew that once I got the Garmin I would use it, it was just a matter of when I got it. And it was also an easy adjustment because I'm used to running with a watch, so this was just a slightly different watch.
It's a tough decision to make.

I'm blaming my Raw Threads addition on you. Can't wait for the next sale!!

Yeah, you're not the first person to say that to me.
I'm also waiting for the next sale ... I'm guessing there will be something around Black Friday time, but I'm hoping for something before then (see below).

50+ miles in October is great. Seriously!

Thanks! I really didn't think it was going to be that much ... I had to do the math twice. So I'm definitely happy about it.

I think your goals sound great and RUN THAT THANKSGIVING RACE!!

Thanks!
I want to get the Raw Threads Turkey Trot Disguise hoodie for the race ... I think that if I get it, it will be easier to get myself excited about the race. But ... $70. This Raw Threads addiction is a problem.

 

[roxymama]

"I want to get the Raw Threads Turkey Trot Disguise hoodie for the race ... I think that if I get it, it will be easier to get myself excited about the race. But ... $70. This Raw Threads addiction is a problem."

Awwww...he has a little mustache and glasses! I had to google that as soon as I read it. Yeah but $70 is too much.

 

[SarahDisney]

Awwww...he has a little mustache and glasses! I had to google that as soon as I read it. Yeah but $70 is too much.

Yes. Don't get me wrong, I love my Raw Threads hoodie and definitely want as many as I can get. And that is the cutest turkey ever (and I'm not a turkey fan).
But $70 ... that price kills me. I'm really hoping they have some sort of sale soon, but it's not likely.

 

[SarahDisney]

Shoes Revisited​

Shoes … one of my favorite and least favorite topics all rolled into one shiny price tag. I’ve posted a lot about my shoes, finding the right shoe, how frustrated I was when I first tried my new shoes, etc.

At the end of the day, I like my shoes, but I don't love them. For the most part they're comfortable when running (a few small problems occasionally, but I think I'd have that with any shoe because of the fact that I don't pay much attention to what I’m doing and I switch between surfaces a lot), so why don't I love them?

I think I figured out the answer while I was putting on my shoes this morning. They don't have the arch support I want. I have very high arches, and they do hurt when I'm wearing shoes that don't have proper arch support. I wear Chuck Taylors a lot, but after a while those kill my arches (which is why I need to pick up a pair of the IIs). Asics have always been great in terms of arch support for me, but my last pair were not the best of running shoes, which is why I was willing to try a different brand of shoe. It is definitely something I've taken into account when shopping for shoes in the past, but I didn't really take it into account as much as I usually do when shopping for these shoes.

For some reason I don't notice the arch problem so much when I'm running, but I do when I'm walking or standing. It does bother me. And maybe it bothers me while I’m running, too, I just am paying attention to things other than my feet. I can live with my current shoes, and I don’t think the lack of arch support is really a big problem in terms of my running, but I think that mentally I’d feel better if I had better arch support.
I tried to think back and remember my favorite pair of running shoes. I think it was the pair I was wearing when I started this running journey back in July 2014 – Asics Gel Contend. After a bit of googling, I determined that they’re now up to the Gel Contend 3, but they seem to be more of an entry-level, new runner, low-mileage shoe. I am currently fairly low mileage (10-15 miles per week), but I’m just not sure if a low-mileage shoe is the best bet for me, especially because by March or April I may be at or over 20 miles per week.

Last time I went shopping for running shoes I went in planning to buy whatever they told me to buy. For my next pair of shoes, I’ve created an order of priorities:
1. Comfort – If I’m not comfortable walking or running around the store in them, I’m not buying them.
2. Arch Support – I want shoes that make my arches feel supported. If I put on the shoe and I don’t feel cushioning under my arches, then I think there’s a better shoe out there for me.
3. Pronation Whatever – If I’ve got multiple pairs (yes, I say pairs, I don’t know why) of shoes that will fil criteria 1 & 2, then I’ll let the running salesperson help me pick out shoes based on my pronation or whatever it is they’re looking for when they take that video of me running on the treadmill.

I think that with these priorities I’ll be able to find shoes that I like that also work for my running style. I definitely know that I’m not going with another pair of the same shoes. But what I actually buy … we’ll see when I get around to needing new shoes.

I’m at about 170 miles on my current shoes. A little more if you include all my warm up and cool down walking. But I’m also almost 4 months into the 6 months that I was told these shoes would last.
Currently the plan is to get new shoes … eventually. It could be early December so that I can start rotating them in before Florida (in which case I would wear different shoes for the 5K & 10K). It could be January or February so that I don’t have to worry about breaking in new shoes right before a race. I really don’t know, and it will depend on a number of factors. But what I do know is that I can go in there armed with more knowledge than last time. Rather than trust what they say, I need to stick with my instincts and go for the shoes with the arch support (although I will also take their recommendations into account just because this is their job and they know more than I do about it). I know what I’m doing a little more than I did last time I went shoe shopping, and I think that will help me go in there and find a great pair of shoes that helps my running and my feet.

 

[Ariel484]

I use Powersteps in my shoes for added arch support: https://www.powersteps.com/product-pages/pinnacle-page

Basically when I get a new pair of shoes I remove the factory insoles and slide in the Powersteps. One pair of Powersteps costs $35ish and lasts for 2-3 pairs of shoes. Maybe something like this would help your current pair of shoes?

ETA: Though I should add that I have the opposite problem that you do - somewhat flat-ish feet.

 

[SarahDisney]

I use Powersteps in my shoes for added arch support: https://www.powersteps.com/product-pages/pinnacle-page

Basically when I get a new pair of shoes I remove the factory insoles and slide in the Powersteps. One pair of Powersteps costs $35ish and lasts for 2-3 pairs of shoes. Maybe something like this would help your current pair of shoes?

ETA: Though I should add that I have the opposite problem that you do - somewhat flat-ish feet.

I've been thinking about orthotics/insoles/whatever but haven't even known where to start - so thanks for the tip! I'll look into the Powersteps and see if maybe they can help me.

Thanks!

 

[Ariel484]

I've been thinking about orthotics/insoles/whatever but haven't even known where to start - so thanks for the tip! I'll look into the Powersteps and see if maybe they can help me.

Thanks!

They were recommended to me by an orthopedic doctor waaayyyy back in 2009 when I was dealing with a case of Runner's Knee. I like 'em.

 

[stacy~**]

I vote for the hoodie but seeing as a I ordered a seasonal one for my race I'm probably not the best person to ask! Honestly I loved it and while it was $$ I swear it was worth it.

YES!! Go to your running store with your shoes and ask them about inserts! Super feet is the brand commonly used around here and I am pretty sure my running store doesn't sell any shoes without really, really encouraging you to buy these! They make a TON of difference. I re-bought my last pair of shoes and moved the inserts to the new ones and have the factory issued ones in the old pair and the difference is extremely noticeable. (I would say I have an average to slightly high arch?) They have several different styles and can help you find the one you need.

 

[SarahDisney]

They were recommended to me by an orthopedic doctor waaayyyy back in 2009 when I was dealing with a case of Runner's Knee. I like 'em.

All my doctor recommended when I had runner's knee was physical therapy ...
I'm always happy to hear that things are doctor-recommended (it's that pesky biology degree I have ... it makes me trust doctors), so thanks for sharing!

I vote for the hoodie but seeing as a I ordered a seasonal one for my race I'm probably not the best person to ask! Honestly I loved it and while it was $$ I swear it was worth it.

Oh, you can bet I'm buying more of those hoodies at some point. I know it's almost worth the $70 (for me very little is actually worth what they charge for it), it's just hard to justify spending that money when I still have stuff to buy for my runDisney costumes.

YES!! Go to your running store with your shoes and ask them about inserts! Super feet is the brand commonly used around here and I am pretty sure my running store doesn't sell any shoes without really, really encouraging you to buy these! They make a TON of difference. I re-bought my last pair of shoes and moved the inserts to the new ones and have the factory issued ones in the old pair and the difference is extremely noticeable. (I would say I have an average to slightly high arch?) They have several different styles and can help you find the one you need.

When I first got my shoes they told me I might need an orthotic. I think that if they're trying to sell you the orthotics with the shoes, they don't really believe in the shoes. So I'd really rather do the research myself than trust the running store on this.
That said ... if I do the research and I'm still not sure what's best for me, then I'll go to the running store and ask them for help.

 

[stacy~**]

When I first got my shoes they told me I might need an orthotic. I think that if they're trying to sell you the orthotics with the shoes, they don't really believe in the shoes. So I'd really rather do the research myself than trust the running store on this.
That said ... if I do the research and I'm still not sure what's best for me, then I'll go to the running store and ask them for help.

I think that is the point. The running store doesn't trust the insoles in the shoes. I think that goes for all of the shoes so it's not that the shoes are bad quality its just that they just don't make the insoles very customized. Honestly I feel like having them has saved my knees. Let us know what you come up with after you research it.

 

[SarahDisney]

I think that is the point. The running store doesn't trust the insoles in the shoes. I think that goes for all of the shoes so it's not that the shoes are bad quality its just that they just don't make the insoles very customized. Honestly I feel like having them has saved my knees. Let us know what you come up with after you research it.

Yes, but ... the only way to make the insoles customized is to actually get custom orthotics, which is very expensive. I have really high arches (seriously, I have a mold of my foot where the middle of the foot doesn't touch whatever surface its on at all), so even whatever orthotics they want to sell me at the running store won't help entirely. I'd rather get shoes that have "closer to what I need" included in the price than have to pay for shoes, then pay more for orthotic insoles, and then still not have all the support I need.
I'm probably just being stubborn about this. I've been thinking about it and doing some research, and I'll hopefully make a decision soon.

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 11/2 – 11/8​

Tuesday 11/3 – Run Recap: 3.15 miles in 36:01 minutes (11’27” pace) – This was my consistency run of the week. My goal was to have my average pace be 11:45 – 12:00 min/mile for the whole run. I went out too fast, and didn’t realize that my average pace would be significantly faster before my first walk break (I forgot that the walk breaks slow down my average pace, and I didn't want to use current pace to measure because of the walk breaks). I ended up finding my comfort zone between 11:20 and 11:35 min/mile. Here’s the pace graph from Garmin (the dotted line is my average pace):

The really low dips are my walk breaks. In terms of the running … it’s not perfect, but I think (especially in the second half), I did okay. It’s not amazing, but it’s a good start. I think I may try using current pace to measure on my next run to see if that makes a difference for me (and I'll just have to remember not to be disappointed when it's very different on my walk breaks).

Thursday 11/5 - Run Recap: 3.29 miles in 41:00 minutes (12’27” pace) – Some days you wake up feeling good, but when you go out for your run, you realize it just won’t be your day. For me, Thursday was one of those days. Lately I’ve been increasing my run interval by 30 seconds for every short run, but for this run I did something different – I decreased my walk break. Basically, Tuesday’s run was 5:30/1 intervals and Thursday’s was 5:30/0:30. I don’t know if it was the shorter walk break, annoyance at my Garmin’s refusal to find a GPS signal (this run was tracked in MapMyRun), or something else, but this was a terrible run. So now I’m left with a decision – do I try 5:30/0:30 again, do I try 6/1 next, or do I have to find something in the middle? I still have 3 weeks to eliminate walk breaks before the end of the month, so I have a little time to experiment.

Sunday 11/8 - Run Recap: 7.56 miles in 1:28:00 hours (11’38” pace) – According to Garmin, this was both my longest run (7.56 miles) and my fastest 10K (1:11:52). I definitely believe both records. This was also one of those runs where I felt pretty good throughout – I did have some minor aches and pains (biggest ones were left medial shin and right ITB-area), they really didn’t interfere with my running at all. Overall, it was a pretty good run and I’m really happy with the run and happy to have reached 7.5 miles.

A few comments on the week:

1. I mentioned in my monthly goals that I want to break my addiction to cheese, but I didn’t really mention why or what form my addiction takes. The why is pretty easy … I come from a family of high cholesterol, and while I’ve never had cholesterol problems, it’s something that’s always in the back of my mind. In terms of the addiction itself … that I’ll talk about a little each week. This week we’ll start with Friday lunches. Friday is house cleaning day for me, and after a morning of cleaning, my default lunch is melted cheese on bread (made in the microwave … I’m a real gourmet chef). This week, Friday’s lunch was scheduled to be yogurt with granola (I didn’t want too big of a lunch because I knew I’d be having an early dinner) instead of cheese. As I was finishing up my vacuuming on Friday afternoon … the craving hit. I wanted the cheese. And that’s my problem. Cheese is my default. I don’t mind having cheese sometimes, but it can’t be my default meal idea. And that’s what I’m trying to work on. (Actual cheese count for the week: a little mac & cheese Thursday night, a stick of string cheese Friday afternoon for snack, and some cheese with lunch on Sunday – a total of 3 servings, which is okay, but not great.)
2. Since I graduated from physical therapy, I’ve (mostly) still been doing the stretches every day and I’ve been doing the exercises every other day. But I’m so sick of it. I think that part of it is that I’ve never been someone who could get into exercise for the sake of exercise. I may be able to learn to adjust to it (I’ve learned to adjust to running, and now I only do it about 60% for the bling and 40% for the sake of running), but I think I’ll get too bored of it before I get to that point. So something I need to work on is finding a way to incorporate stretching (preferably including my back, which has been extra painful the last few weeks) and strengthening into my routine in a way that feels comfortable to me (see below for my first attempt … we’ll see how it works).
3. In terms of insoles in my shoes for my arches (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, scroll up a bit) … I’m hesitant to “automatically” buy insoles if I’ve never felt unsupported by my shoes before. Also, since they're not customized for my feet and I do have very high arches, I don't know that it would help enough to be worth it. Plus, if I’m not always feeling it while I’m running, it may be psychological and I don’t know that an insole would help that. Plus, paying $40-$50 for anything is not the best idea for me right now (I’d much rather save that money and spend it at Disney). That said, I’m currently considering the Superfeet insole because it has one insole for a range of sizes, meaning that I can wear it in my size 8 Saucony right now, and if I go back to Asics for my next shoe and I’m back in a 7.5, I can wear it in those too. Many of the other ones I looked at were either specific to shoe size or had 7.5 and 8 in different sizes. My arches did bother me a bit early in Sunday’s run, so this is definitely on my radar, but I’m going to see what happens on my next few runs before making a decision. (Yes, I am aware that this makes very little sense ... most of the things that go on in my head make very little sense)
4. Overall, this was a pretty low-key week. I had some work to do, but nothing that I really got into. The only time I left the house was for my runs and a trip to Starbucks/Michaels (for a change of scenery … and thread). I spent a lot of time in front of the TV … but I really was okay with having a low key week.

And now, next week:

You may have noticed that “knee stretches” has been changed to “daily stretching” (okay, fine, you didn’t notice, but I’m pointing it out). At this point, I think I need to move from my reliance on what I did in PT to a more general routine that includes everything, not just the knees. My goal is to do 15-30 minutes of stretching a day – 5-10 minutes in the morning, 5-10 minutes somewhere in the middle of the day, and 5-10 minutes shortly before bed. Hopefully that will help with my overall flexibility … and feel less tedious than the knee stretches.

 

[Ariel484]

I tried the 30-second walk breaks a couple of times and wanted to die (exaggeration, but you get my point). I am right there with you on those. Maybe try changing your intervals by 10-15 seconds instead of 30?

For me, a couple of terrible runs with the 30-second walk breaks were enough to accept the fact that 1-minute walk breaks seem to be what my body prefers.